Wolverines earn NCAA bid for first time since 1998, will face Clemson as No. 10 seed

Leisa Thompson | The Ann Arbor NewsUniversity of Michigan basketball players from left, DeShawn Sims, Manny Harris and Jevohn Shepherd react after hearing they are headed to Kansas City for the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 seasons.

ANN ARBOR -- For more than 30 minutes Sunday night, they had remained pinned to the edge of brown leather chairs, waiting for hope to give way to reality.

With every NCAA Tournament bracket that appeared on the Crisler Arena scoreboard video screen, they nervously held their breath, anticipating when their emotions could be released.

It would take some time.

Behind two rows of University of Michigan basketball players, more than 1,000 maize-and-blue clad believers remained standing, anxiously counting down the moment when the Wolverines' 11-year tournament drought would finally end.

And just after 6:35 p.m., as the night's final bracket was being announced on national TV, Michigan's moment of truth arrived.

The Wolverines are dancing in Kansas City.

"It was real scary," sophomore guard Manny Harris said. "We were nervous, but seeing (Michigan's entry) up there was the best feeling ever."

Michigan - which was given the South Regional's 10th seed - will make its first NCAA appearance since 1998 Thursday, facing No. 7 seed Clemson at 7 p.m.

The Wolverines' confirmation was less than a second old when Michigan players sprang from their seats, verbalizing two days' worth of nervous energy in one collective sigh of relief.

And, oh what a relief it was.

"They were going to make us wait," junior forward DeShawn Sims said of the building anticipation of Michigan's tournament fate being announced on CBS's Selection Sunday special.

"We haven't been there for 11 years and they tried to tease us a little bit. But we were just fortunate we were able to get in and that they didn't forget our name."

In the moment, players leapt to their feet, embracing the closest person to them. They wore matching blue T-shirts which read "Michigan is a brotherhood" and danced like they never had before. Some - like senior reserve forward Jevohn Shepherd - were lost in the moment.

The Toronto native was so busy celebrating that he forgot to get one vital piece of information.

"Wait," Shepherd said in the midst of the chaotic celebration, "Who are we playing?"

Michigan's entry into the NCAA comes only a year after the Wolverines finished 10-22 in coach John Beilein's first season.

But after a 10-win improvement, signature wins over UCLA and Duke and a strong stretch run that included victories over Big Ten Tournament champion Purdue and on the road at Minnesota, Michigan's NCAA resume' appeared to be air-tight.
Waiting proved to be the toughest part.

As the rest of the 65-team field was announced, Beilein sat calmly, watching as the pairings were announced as his wife, Kathleen, sat next to him, clutching his hand.

Beilein, who took teams at Richmond and West Virginia to NCAA tournament berths, knew anything was possible.

Before bringing his team out of the tunnel, he met with them privately, bracing them for two scenarios. In or not, they would endure the moment together. Either way, Beilein told his players, Michigan was going to react with class.

And once the Wolverines' bid was official, the normally-reserved Beilein allowed the celebratory nature of the moment to overtake him. He sprung up from his seat and disappeared in a blue mass of his players and staff.

Later, he was more reflective of the moment.

"I think we had to get to this point to get people to believe," Beilein said Sunday night. "And people (wondered) are they going to get it done there? Is that style going to work? Are those recruits going to work?

"OK, it worked so far. Now we have to continue with the program so we can not only be happy to get in (the tournament) but be happy to be in and advance. That's obviously what we're trying to on Thursday."

Jeff Arnold can be reached at jarnold@annarbornews.com or at 734-994-6814.